Former Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, along with former deputy CM Manish Sisodia and four others, faced off with the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) before a bench of justice Swarana Kanta Sharma, seeking her recusal from hearing the agency’s appeal in the Delhi excise policy case.
Arguing in person, Kejriwal said he had a “reasonable apprehension” of not receiving a fair hearing, pointing to what he described as a pattern of orders that effectively “neutralised” the trial court’s discharge.
He also alleged a pattern in justice Sharma’s orders of accepting arguments advanced by the ED and CBI, saying “Every prayer becomes a judgment,” and cited additional grounds for recusal, alleging that the judge had attended events organised by the Akhil Bharatiya Adhivakta Parishad, which followed an ideology opposed to the AAP.
The CBI, represented by solicitor general Tushar Mehta, opposed the plea, urging the court to dismiss it with costs and initiate contempt proceedings.
